All posts tagged Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

After strong reviews for his turn as the iconic George Smiley in the film adaptation of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Gary Oldman seemed a strong candidate for Best Actor nominations at the major awards ceremonies. Yet when nominees were announced for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Oldman’s name wasn’t included.

So, when the time came for Academy Award nominations this morning, it seemed far from a sure thing, despite public praise given to Oldman by his “Tinker” co-star and the reigning Best Actor Oscar winner, Colin Firth. But Oldman’s name was indeed included in the Best Actor category, and it’s his first Oscar nomination in his career — a fact that many of his fans find hard to believe.

Oldman called The Wall Street Journal from Berlin, where “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” premieres tonight. Read the interview after the jump. Read More »

“Sailcloth” is one of the live action short films selected for this year’s Oscar shortlist, that stars British actor John Hurt as a man who decides one day to leave his nursing home with his belongings, and take to the sea.

The 17-minute short, directed by newcomer Elfar Adalsteins, was filmed for five days in St. Mawes, Cornwall. In the film, Hurt doesn’t speak. The only interaction he has with another person is a wave and a smile to a young boy on the shore. Though the film is short and void of dialogue, it manages to convey as much depth and poignant contrast as a full-length feature — much like a William Trevor short story packs in a lifetime in its brevity. There is a heartstopping scene with Hurt and a simple waltz on the boat, that could narrate a novel.

Hurt stars in another short film on the Oscar shortlist, “Love at First Sight” (directed by Michael Davies) as well as the new feature-film adaptation of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (directed by Tomas Alfredson). He currently stars in the theatrical production of “Krapp’s Last Tape” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Speakeasy caught up with Hurt in Brooklyn by phone to discuss “Sailcloth.” Read More »

The new film adaptation of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” opens today in select U.S. cities by Focus Features, after playing to critical acclaim in the U.K. According to producer Robyn Slovo, as of last week, the Tomas Alfredson-directed film had already earned back 14 million pounds ($21.96 million). The film was made for $18 million, Slovo said.

The film was adapted from the novel by John le Carre by the screenwriting team of Peter Straughan and his late wife, Bridget O’Connor. Swedish director Alfredson (“Let the Right One In”) was very involved in the adaptation, which Straughan said made the process much easier and faster.

Fans of le Carre’s novel and the 1979 BBC television series are either eager for or skeptical of this film adaptation – made with a non-English director at the helm. One aspect of the film that’s immediately recognizable: its formidable cast. Gary Oldman plays the master spy George Smiley, popularized by Alec Guinness in the miniseries. Colin Firth plays intelligence officer Bill Haydon, and Mark Strong is Jim Prideaux.

Speakeasy had a chance to catch up with Alfredson, Straughan, and these actors to discuss “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Read what they had to say after the jump. Read More »

In his first English-language film, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson has turned his eye toward the 1974 British spy novel “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” written by John le Carre and made into a hugely popular BBC television miniseries in 1979. Alfredson, who burst onto the scene three years ago with his Swedish vampire film, “Let the Right One In,” turned to the screenwriting team of Peter Straughan (“The Debt,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”) and Bridget O’Connor early on, and was involved in adapting the screenplay.

The film also assembles a star-studded cast: Gary Oldman plays the iconic role of master spy George Smiley; John Hurt is “Control”; Colin Firth plays intelligence officer Bill Haydon; and Benedict Cumberbatch is Peter Guillam. The film also stars Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, David Dencik and Kathy Burke. John le Carre also makes a cameo in one scene.

The 127-minute, Working Title film is being released Friday in the U.S. by Focus Features. Will the film adaptation, which was a success in the U.K., appeal to both fans of the book and TV series, and audience members new to the story? Read some reviews after the jump. Read More »

When Toby Jones first saw the BBC miniseries “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” based on John le Carré’s classic 1974 espionage novel, he likened the experience to “being introduced to Shakespeare.” Even though he was too young to comprehend everything—the seven-part series aired when he was 12—“you could tell something important was going on,” says Mr. Jones, who co-stars in a new film based on the book.

Replicating the success of the book and the miniseries in a two hour film is a tall order: Mr. le Carré’s novels require intense concentration, and are known for their convoluted plots [For more, go to "The Perplexing Case of the Cerebral Thriller."] But the film, by Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (“Let the Right One In”) was a runaway hit in the U.K., where it spent three weeks at the top of the box office charts. It is also generating best actor buzz for Gary Oldman, who plays protagonist George Smiley. The film, which is being distributed in the U.S. by Focus Features, opens on Dec. 9.

Mr. Jones’s Hollywood career began to take off in 2006, when he starred in “Infamous” as Truman Capote. The film got good reviews but was a box office flop—it opened a year after Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar winning star turn in “Capote”—generating a paltry $2.6 million globally. Since then, Mr. Jones has been cast in several Hollywood productions, including “Frost/Nixon,” “W.,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” “My Week with Marilyn,” and the much anticipated “Hunger Games,” which comes out in March.

Speakeasy caught up with Mr. Jones while he was shooting “Snow White and the Huntsman” to talk about his latest role, as the politically connected but untalented spy Percy Alleline, in “Tinker Tailor,” and his career. Read the interview after the jump. Read More »

Before Gary Oldman donned his vintage eyeglasses to play John le Carre’s British intelligence agent George Smiley, actor Alec Guinness played the same role in a BBC adaptation of the author’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Directed by John Irvin, the seven-episode series — which was condensed to six episodes for U.S. audiences — debuted in 1979 and earned rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.

Spy films like “Tinker Tailor,” in Mr. Irvin’s view, are perennial. “A spy story presents a puzzle that’s resolved, and the modern world is more puzzling than ever,” he says. “We’re all just looking for the answers.”

Audiences also like secrets, he notes, and today’s post-nuclear, post-9/11 era has bigger and more dangerous secrets than ever. Unlike during the Cold War, which is setting for “Tinker Tailor,” today’s wars have no rules and no gameplans. “There are a lot more amateurs, so anyone can basically get onto the pitch,” he said.

We recently caught up with Mr. Irvin, whose version of “Tinker Tailor” was recently released on DVD. Read More »

After the New York premiere of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” last night, guests converged on The Double Seven in the city’s Meatpacking District and were greeted by publicists and photographers working the entrance. Then they were hit by Radioman.

Radioman has become a red-carpet fixture in the city, showing up at film openings and parties with a radio strapped around his neck. He’s made cameos on films and television shows, and according to his website, he was once homeless.

Last night, Radioman posed with “Tinker” star Gary Oldman outside The Double Seven, to the bemusement of publicists and onlookers. Oldman then ushered his wife and guests inside, and Radioman padded off into the cold night. Read More »

Early in his career, actor Gary Oldman was known for playing frenzied villains such as a corrupt agent-murderer in “The Professional” or a terrorist in “Air Force One.”

In recent years, Oldman has played roles that have dialed down the frenzy, but are no less intense: Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” films, and Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” series. But no performance has generated the same stillness and control from Oldman as his latest: the spy master, George Smiley, in a film adaptation of John Le Carré’s novel, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”

“In the past I’ve been asked to play these characters who, you know, jump around a bit, they’re frenetic and they physicalize,” Oldman tells Speakeasy in an interview. “I’ve been waiting 30 years to play this part.”

Speakeasy caught up with Oldman recently to discuss playing such an iconic, and laconic, role. Read the interview after the jump. Read More »

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.